二00七年孩子高中畢業。這是一所州立的住讀學校，只設有高中三年級和四年級，每年從全州的高中二年級學生中招收七十多人。據說全美國有二十多個州有這樣的高中。

畢業典禮在五月中旬，那一天我帶着全家人和幾家親朋好友提前到達。典禮安排在州府大樓前門寬闊的平台上，舉辦得很莊重。

果然名不虛傳，規模不大的學校，不足七十個畢業生，卻取得了驚人的成績。可圈可點的個人與團體獎項就有七十多項，包括一些著名的專項獎，全州全國以至國際性的竟賽獎項。

作為畢業生代表，女兒要面對千多位觀眾作畢業演講。沒想到女兒的表現儼然象一位訓練有素的講員，從容大度，六分鐘的演講幾乎感動了所有的來賓老師和同學，給我留下了很深的印象。

Family, friends, SSM faculty, Today we’re here to celebrate the end of a remarkable journey, and the beginning to the rest of our lives.  I stand you before to announce that we, the Class of 2007, have made it. 

I remember junior move-in day at SSM as if it were yesterday.  Mom, you came into my room and cried like a baby.  You believed my leaving home would mark the end of my need for you.  And in part, you are right.  At the age of 17 and 18, our dependence on our parents is much less than what it was two years ago.  SSM has opened our eyes to politics and social issues and we have formed our own opinions of the ways of this world.  But despite what you may believe parents, we need you now more than ever.  We need you to trust us, allow us to thrive in our own communities, believe that we will make the right decisions, and grant us the independence we desire.  But also understand that we’re still young and trying out our infant wings.  That we will make mistakes, and sometimes fall, and as childish as it may seem, we still need you to be there cleaning up our wounds and helping us heal.

Mom, Dad… Thank you.  Thank you for these last 18 years. Thank you for allowing us to come to SSM, to leave home two years early in order for us to have the best possible chance at a bright future. We hope we’ve made you proud today, and will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.

To the SSM faculty, words are incapable of describing the appreciation we have for you.  The success this institution has had because of each and every one of you is evidenced here on the front steps of this capital.  Each one of us came in with a thirst for knowledge, aspiration for success, and an over-confidence in our own abilities.  Your first step was to immediately and brutally humble us.  You challenged us with grade-slaying teachers, mountains of homework, and unlimited opportunities to excel.   Our first failures and even negative test grades, opened our eyes to a new realm of education. Though at first, we kicked and screamed, resisting your efforts to better us, you tenaciously held on to your faith in our abilities.  These past two years, you became more than our professors, you became our mentors, friends, and our parents away from home.  You helped us rise to the challenge you set forth, and most importantly, you believed in us.  For that, we thank you.

Now to the stars of today’s ceremony, my fellow seniors, we have waited and looked forward to this day for a loooong time.  For a time when we can finally say, “Friday night? I’m going to a movie with some friends” instead of “Girls, lets get all of our study guides done by 8PM so we can have 3 hours of group discussions”  Now I know its going to take some time to get readjusted to the outside world so I have prepared a few guidelines to assist you in your transition.

Do not be shocked or think the world has come to an end when your internet connection does not automatically shut down at 8pm every evening.  Do not be alarmed when your parents catch you red-handed with a DVD in your room, because remember, movies are still considered legal in the outside world.  Do not be shocked when you hear that familiar yet eery sound of *phone (Nokia) music* because that’s most likely just your cell phone ringing in your pocket.  And lastly, do not be surprised when all the lights don’t turn off at exactly 11PM, and someone doesn’t knock on your door to say “sleepy please”.  

But before we leave this place and all of its memories behind, I would like to take a moment to reflect upon these past two years. 

Seniors, living together has given us the unique privilege of seeing each other on our best AND worst days. I will never forget how great everyone looked in their dresses and suits at the plays, prom, and Hornets games, and I will NEVER forget how horrible everyone looked after not showering for a week during finals. I will never forget the day that college letters all came out and the shouts of cheers and support reverberating in the dorms. I will always remember those “surprise” birthday parties we attempted to throw for each other, and all the times at the dinner table or in each other’s rooms when we laughed until we cried. These past two years, we grew to be more than just classmates, or even friends, we became a family.  So before I say farewell to you, my family, I’d like to say thank you for sharing your joys, laughter, tears, and most of all your heart with me.  

As we leave this place, let us not get so carried away with our freedom that we forget our goals and motivations, our promise and desire to change this world for the better. Class of 2007, we have been told that we are some of the best and brightest students in this nation.  Today, We have proven this to our family and friends, the faculty here at SSM, and our great state.  Now I leave you with a challenge.  Take the dedication, persistence, and passion we have developed here at SSM and go prove this to the world.

聽完了孩子的演講，很感動，也很高興，同時也感到一點失落。培養孩子獨立，勇敢，但孩子真正長大獨立了，能勇敢頑強地面對生活現實了，要遠走高飛了，反而自己覺得一點空虛，一種不再被需要的失落。還有一種特別的感受，說不出是珍惜還是惋惜。這裡每個孩子從小學到初中、高中，再到大學，生活道路坦坦蕩蕩，平平順順，沒什麼大起大落，沒有什麼驚心動魄命運悠關的竟爭與考試，似乎缺少一點什麼。或許生活本該就是普通而充實，恬靜而喜樂，不該有那麼多的驚濤駭浪，平平淡淡就是福澤。

好象是對父母在觀念上對名校的熱衷，對珍藏在心中高考情節難以釋懷的理解，畢業典禮之後一個多月，女兒又將父母戲劇性地帶到了另一個讓人驚喜興奮，幸福難忘的大型聚會，為她的高中畢業畫上了一個更完美的句號。故爭事發生在白宮，華盛頓。